ROCKFORD, Mich. — At Rockford High School parking is divided up based on school year.
The Senior Class parking is never hard to find, it's the parking lot sector overflowing with color.
Associate principal at Rockford High School Eric Cavalli tells us it's a tradition.
"So, what happens is seniors can sign up to have a parking space. It's their exclusive parking space they pay to basically rent the space for the year, and it's dedicated to them," says Cavalli.
"Then they get the opportunity to paint and decorate it to their liking."
Decorating includes funky artwork and quotes of encouragement like "The Future is Bright."
Or just quotes that start your day with a smile, like famous phrases from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off".
"I think the faculty gets a kick out of it, and the parents get a kick out of it," Cavalli tells us. "We often see that parents come up and help their students as part of the creative process and get the work done and kind of make sure that everything's done well."
What's even better is that the money earned from this parking space art project goes to Rockford's Renaissance Program, a student-run club designed to improve culture in the school building.
For instance, one school year parking spot proceeds were used to provide warm hot chocolate throughout the winter.
"The money that was raised from this helped buy the hot chocolate," explains Cavalli. "The kids from the Renaissance Team were at the front entrance with huge containers of hot chocolate! So as kids walk through the door in the wintertime, 'Here's hot chocolate.'"
A sweet treat for all their hard work.
What reward with this year's profits reap?
Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure: finding a parking space has never been easier for seniors.
"The typical morning is a little bit of a mad dash for a lot of seniors," says Cavalli. "To get here and to know that they have a spot that's just exclusively theirs creates a sense of comfort and certainly convenience. It's great to know as soon as I pull in, I have a spot that I know is absolutely mine."
